Speed-regulating means



T. FLETCHER.

SPEED REGULATING MEANS.

APPLICATION HLED'JUNE 20.1918.

EPatentedSept. 19, 1922. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- T. FLETCHER.

SPEED REGULATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20; 1918.

Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTQRIVEVS Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

'rnnonoan FLETCHER, or

SIPEED-REGIULATING' MEANS.

Application filed June 20, 1918. Serial No. 2 40,995.

being more particularly an improvement on the subject matter. of my former application filed May 16, 1917, Serial No. 168,972, and it consists in the constructions, combinations.

and arrangements herein described and claimed. i

An object of my invention is to provide a phonograph wherein a differential rotational speed is imparted to the turn table so that an equal speed of disk travel. under the recorder or reproducer is maintained throughout the recording or playing of a record.

' Another ob'ect of the invention is to provide means W ereby a positive lateralmovemerit for the turn table driving friction wheel is obtained from the turn table spindle.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for conveying the reproducer across the disk to avoid the friction between the stylus and the sound groove of the record, said means being operated positively from the same source which provides the positive lateral movement of the friction wheel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a phonograph embodying means. for

driving the turn table either at a differential speed or at a uniform speed, according to the type of record it is desired-to P y A further object of the invention is to providemeans whereby the friction wheel may be made to traversethe turn table eithe;

rapidly or slowly according to the type record it is desired to play. I A further object of the invention is to pro- 1 tion wheel with the turn table and the en gagement of the lateral driving means for the friction wheel carriage,.is simultaneously broken to enablethewreturn.of the friction wheel to the .original ior starting position.

vide means whereby the contact of-the fric Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a-plan view of the improved speed regulating means,

'oFFilcE.

sen ammonia-Texas, assrenon or oNE HALF m J. m. NIX, or BEXAR coumv, rnxas.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view on the I line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the notched handle whereby the adjustments of the fric-' tion w heel supporting yoke are obtained,

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 1s a detail cross section on th line 4+4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is an enlarged section of a p01?- tion eif the mechanism illustrated in Figure 3 an Figure 6 is a detail view of an improved automatic stop.

As previously stated, the present invention -is an improvement on the subject matter of my prior application, and in order that the differences in construction and the mode of operation may more readily be understood, it is thought best to outline A synopsis of the description of the original I structure.

In this structure, a disk-holding turn table was revolved by means of a positive gear connection with a motor. -This motor was subject to variable speeds. A friction wheel arranged to traverse the turn table by means I wasrelatively great so that the governor balls flew outwardly and thebrake came into action thus tending to Q-retard the speed of the turn table...

AS13110, nation wheel a 'pitac 'e "as en? ter 10f the turn table,,the rotational speed of f t niw l wa l t9e i tfi$e quentlythe governor halls partly collapsed, releasing the brake and causing the rotation of the turn tahle tosp up in accordance.

' The arrangement was such that the-reproducer was positively moved across the record and in alinement with the friction wheel beneath, and the result of this arrangement was that the speed of the record beneath the reproducer. needle was always the same whether the reproducer needle was at the 1 which is in contact with the bottom surface of the turn table 2 and is arranged to drive the turn table by means of the frictional contact of a rubber tire 3 with said bottom surface. A motor M is arranged to rotate the friction wheel 1 in the preferred form of the invention. The motor M is intended to he one of a constant speed, to

which end, any suitahle governing devicemay be employed, although the illustration of such .is omitted from the drawings.

The chiving connection between the motor M and the friction wheel l consists of a motor shaft upon which a pinion t is mounted. The pinion 4i meshes with a similar pinion on a primary shaft 5 from which a secondary or pivot shaft 6 is driven by means of the bevel gear connections 7. The shafts 5 and 6 are at right angles to each other and the shaft 6- carries a spur pinion 8 which meshes with a s ur gear 9 onthe friction wheel drive sha shaft 10 drives the friction wheel 1 and consequently the. turn table 2 is rotated. The friction wheel 1 is made to traverse the turn table 2 by means of The fraction wheel earnings 1].

The carriage ll slides on a guide rod 12 which is fixed in position in standards 13 which in turn rise from a bed plate 142.

A screw-follower 15 carried by the carriage ll, en ages the threads of a driving screw e motion of the driving screw causes the friction wheel carriage 11 to move inwardly with respect to the turn table, and the friction wheel 1 accordingly traverses the turntahle by virtue of the connection of a yoke 17 on the carriage with a grooved hub 18 on, the friction wheel.

The turn table 2 is the source from which the drivin screw 16 is rotated. The turn tahle spin le 19 carries a bevel pinion 20 which drives a gear connection 211. This gear connection is partly supported in the hearing standard 22 of the spindle l3, and

10. The

Manure drives a bevel gear 23 on a counter shaft necessary to accomplish either a slow orrapid travcrsing of the friction wheel 1 across the turn table to accommodate the differences in the grooves in various types of records. A speed lever secures the shiftingof the gears 27 and 28 so that either the gears 25 or 26 on thecounter shaft 24: may be engaged. The screw 16 may be rendered. operative or inoperative at will, according to the position of a clutch 31 which is actuated by a clutch lever 32.

The friction wheel tension adjustment includes a yoke 33 in which the drive shaft 10 of the friction wheel'l is journaled, It should be observed that the drive shaft 10 has a groove with a suitable key or spline, in which the hub of the friction wheel rides thus securing the rotational movement of the friction wheel yet enabling the longitudinal movement thereof on the drive shaft. The arms of the yoke 33 are pivoted on the pivot shaft 6 so that the yoke 33 may be rocked on the pivot shaft to move the friction wheel; 1 into and out of contact with the bottom surface of the turn table.

Projecting forwardly from the yoke 33 is a spring 34:. This spring is in the nature of a tongue upon which a vertically disposed handle 35 is mounted.v The handle .35 has a plurality of notches 3'3 which are arranged to engage a keeper37 of any suitable design. By pressing down on the handle 35, the yoke 33 is made to rock on the pivot shaft 6 and the rubber tire 3 of the friction wheel 1 is made to press against the turn table 2 to a degree according to the distance of depression of the handle 35. Upon pulling the handle 35' farther out than shown in Figure 2, the friction wheel 1 may be made to leave the turn table so as to secure the ing the friction wheel 1 upwardly against the turn table, the screw follower 15 will he correspondingly premed downwardly so as to secure the intemngagement of the parts in the manner just described.

Conversely when the friction wheel 11 is llii madam the turn table 2, the screw follower is lifted clear of the screw 16. A lever 38 pivoted at 39 has a swiveled engagement- 40 with a depending portionof the friction wheel carriage 11. This lever includes a handle 41 by means of which the carriage 11 is returnedto the starting position when the screw follower 15 is lifted as just described. l

The tone arm carriage 42 slides on guides 43 which are fixed in position on suitable supports in the phonograph cabinet 0. The carriage 42 traverses the phonograph cabinet C at the same speed of lateral motion as that of the friction wheel 1. The reproducer R is thus positively conveyed across the record and not dragged across by virtue of the engagement of the needle with the grooves as is ordinarily the. case.

A screw 44 driven by the gear'connections 45 from the continuation 29 of the screw 16, conveys the carriage 42 across the cabinet as just described, by means of the engage ment of a screw follower 46 with the screw 44. The follower 46 is mounted on a spring extension 47 on a plate 48 which is hinged on the carriage/42. The screw follower 46 is returned to the starting position on the screw 44 by simply lifting the tone arm T at which time the plate 48 rocks on its hinges.

A telescopic arrangement is provided in the var ous members of. the tone arm and the sound amplifier or horn S.- 1 This arrangement is well shown in Figure 3 wherein the telescopic members of the tone arm T are illustrated. A tube 49 is fixed in any suitable manner on thehinge plate 48, and

the lower end of this tube pro ects into the upper elbow 50 of the sound conduitwhich leads to the horn S. The upper end of the elbow 50 is likewise fixedin the carriage 42.'

but the connection between the tube 49 and the elbow 50 is loose enough to enable. the disengagement of the screw follower 46 from the screw 44 when the plate 48 is lifted onits hinges in the manner just described. Suitable swivel joints are provided in the sound conduit so that themovement of the carriage 42 maybe followed very readily and efl'ectively.

An alternate method of driving the turn table 2 include s a counter shaft upon which a shiftable pinion 51 asillustrated in Figure 1, is mounted. The pinion 51 is ar-. ranged to be shifted into engagement with a gear, 52 on the spindle 19 by means is thrown-into driving engagement with'jthe gear 52, the turn table2 is driven at a uniform rate of speed and the speed is not acof a pivoted lever 53. The shaft upon which the. pinion 51 is mounted, is driven by. means of celerated as is the case when the turn table is driven by the friction wheel 1. When the turn table 2 is thus driven, the friction wheel 1 is thrown down out of engagement with the turn table. The tone arm carriage 42 is, however, positively conveyed across as in the former instance. Y I

A suppo'rting'wheel '56 is mounted in suitable bearings onthe opposite side of the spindle 19.. This supporting wheel is similar in construction to the friction wheel 1 and its purpose is to sustain the turn table 2 on. the other side and thus compensate for the pressure 'of the'friction right" side of the turntable. By this provision, lateral strains on the spindle 19 and its bearing,,are avoided. In this connection it should be observed that thespindle 19 is mounted in ball "bearings in the bearing standard 22 as clearly shown in Figure 4.

wheelon the sists of a rod 57 which has a stop 58'. The

stop 58 is adapted to beengaged by afinger 59 on a portion of the tone arm T and pref- A trip lever 60 has a projection which rests on an arm extending from one of the supports of the rod 57, and when the finger 59 has moved over far enough to engage the erably extending forwardly from the tube stop 58, further movement of the finger 59 will cause the displacement of the trip lever 60 which then moves downwardly under the influence of the spring 61. This downward movement-of the triplever 60 is utilized to either apply a brake or break an electric motor circuit according to the type of motor M used in the phonograph. i

The rod 57 moves over in the "direction just described against the tensionof -a sprin 62 at one end, and when the finger 59 re eases the stop 58, the rod 57 springs back to its original position. The trip. lever 60 has a finger piec'eby means of which it may be reset. The stop 58 is made adjustable on the stop 57 so that the operationof stopping the motor maybe carrled' out atanyde- :sired' time. I

' Tbc operation.

record a-"positilve motion which is :derived from the tur table itself. The turn table 2.is capable riablejspeed/or at a constant'speed from the constant speed (motor M. In the former instance, the friction wheel 1 is made use of. This wheel is arranged The reprbducer, R is conveyed acros s the f,being rotated either at a va- I to traverse the turn table 2 and at the same time, causes-the notation of the turn table by means of the frictional contact of the rubber tire 3 with the bottom surface of the turn table. i

The motor M drives the friction wheel 1 through the primary shaft 5, the secondary or pivot shaft 8, the'intermeshing gears 8 and ,9, and the spline and groove connecof the turn table,

tions of the drive shaft 10 u on which the friction wheel is mounted. y en the friction wheel 1 is positioned at the periphery of the turn table 2, the rotational speed of the turntable will be relatively slow. As the friction wheell approaches the center the rotational. speed of the turn table will become adually accelerated. The repioducer which is arranged to follow thefriction wheel 1 will thus reproduce sound from the record which is made to move at the beneath the. reproducer needle at all positions of the reproducer. This rate of speed has-been deteined in actual-practice to be about 18? per: second and this rate of speed secures the best reproducing results.

Two speeds of transverse movement of the friction wheel (carriage 11 which conveys the friction wheel 1, are obtained by means of the gears 25, '26, 27 and 28. These are actuated by the lever '30. The tone arm Slit carnage 4:2 is positively conveyed across under all circumstances.

Should it be desired to have the turn table 2 revolve at a uniform rate ofspeed as when playing ordinary records, the friction wheel 1 is loweredby means of the yolxe 33 and the handle 35, and the'pinion 511's shifted into engagement with the gear 52 on the spindle 19 so that motion-is derived directly from the Under such circstances,- the clutch 31 is shifted out of en agement with the corre-.

sponding clutch e ement on the end of the screw 16, and thus;the,screw 16 remains quiet. Obviously the process of reproducing a record which starts from the center instead of at the periphery, may ;;be car out by simply making the screws 16 and 444 with left hand threads. lit 'is also conceivable that the screw shaft 44: and the.

driving gear connections therefor may be eliminated; the transverse conveyance of the tone arm carriage 42 being then accomplished by simply extending the screw follower to 1nto engagement with the screw 16;

While the construction and arrangement of the device as herein described and illustrated is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modificatlons and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim y i 1, In a phonograph, a turn table, a fricsame rate of speed 7 center of the turn table.

primary shaft 5,

the screw shaft for conveying rea ers tion wheel in driving contact with the turn table, a friction wheel shaft, a shaft supporting yolre, a driven shaft providing a pivotal mounting for the yoke, driving means between said shaft and the friction wheel shaft, a resilient mber carried by we the yoke, a notched handle on said resilient member adapted to enable the rocking of the yoke on its pivotal mounting to secure the engagement or disengagement of the friction wheel with the turn table, and it fined engaging means cooperating with the notches of said handle. Y

'2. A phonograph including a turn table and spindle, a friction wheel for rotating the turn table, a friction wheel carriage so including connecting means to the friction wheel, su porting means for the carriage, a counter s aft, gear connections for driving the counter shaft from the turn table spindle, gears of difie'rent diameters on the st counter shaft, a carriage actuating screw shaft, a separate screw extension shaft, ,shiftable-gears of two diameters on saidextension adapted to engage corresponding ones of the gears on the counter shaft and to impart various rotational speeds tothe ex tension shaft, shifting means for said extension shaft carried gears, clutch connections between the screw shaft and the extension shaft, shifting means for said-clutch conas 'nection, and. a screw follower carr1ed by the friction wheel carriage in engagement with the screw shaft for conveying the carrings and the friction wheel toward thewe 3. A phonograph including a turn table and spindle a friction wheel for rotating the turn table, a friction wheel carriage including connecting means to the friction wheel, supporting means for the carriage, 10s a counter shaft, gear connections for driving the counter shaft from the turn table spindle, gears of different diameters on the counter shaft, a carriage actuating screw shaft, a separate screw extension shaft, Mt shiftable gears of two diameters on said extension adapted to engage corresponding ones of the gears on the counter shaft and impart various rotational speeds to the extension shaft, shifting means for said extension 1115 shaft carried gears, clutch connections between the screw shaft and the extension 1 shaft, shifting means for said clutch connection, a screw follower carried by the friction wheel carriage in engagement with the carriage and the friction wheel towar the center of the turn table, and movable means enabling the simultaneous disengagementvof the friction wheel from the turntable and'iscrew r25 follower from the shaft.

4%. A phonograph including a turn table and spindle, a friction wheel for rotatpart various rotational speeds to the exfriction wheel to the connections between the extension shaft from tension shaft, shifting means for said ex-' tension shaft carried gears, clutch connections between the screw shaft and the extension shaft, shifting means for said clutch connection, a screw follower carried by the friction wheel carriage in engagement with the screw shaft for conveying the carriage and the friction wheel toward the center of the turn table, movable means enabling the simultaneous disengagement of the friction wheel from the turn table andLthe screw follower from the screw shaft, and means in connection with said friction wheel carriage for returning the carriage and the original, position; 5...The combination of a pair of screw shafts, an extension shaft of one of the screw shafts, a turn table, a friction wheel in driving contact with, the turn table, a friction wheel drive shaft'arranged to be driven at a uniform rate of speed, spline and groove friction wheel and the drive shaft, connections for driving the the turn table, connections between the extension, shaft and the other of the screw shafts enabling the driving of thescrew shafts in' unison, shiftable clutch connections between the extension shaft and the companion screw shaft,

, a tone arm having areproducer, a tone arm carriage actuated by one of the screw-shafts, and a friction wheel carriage actuated by the'other of thescrewf'sha'fts, said carriages being arranged to convey the reproducer and the friction. wheel toward the center of the turn table together.

.-16. In a phonograph, a tone arm carriage,

' a feed screw for moving a plate tion with the sound condult to enable the 60, I riage.

to the" tone and carriage,

means for 'supportlng an guiding. the cararmcarriage, as'crew' follower plate hinged mountedon theplate, atone arm and having a loose telescopic .connec raising of the hinge plate and the screw follower, and a screw shaft for actuating the, screw follower and the tonearm car-.

7 In a phonograph,

driven shaft, a drive shaft carried by the yoke and operated by the driven shaft, .a

a friction wheel carriage shaft, carrying a .from the spindle of the friction wheel with the a screw. followerincluding a. tubular portion mounted on the hinged,-

a yoke carried by a friction wheel slidably keyed on the drive shaft, and a drive screw shaft with means for sliding the friction wheel on the drive shaft as it is driven thereby.

8. In a phonograph, a driven spindle, a turntable, a driven friction wheel in contact with the turntable, a screw shaft with means for controlling the advance of the friction wheel, a screw shaft for controlling the advance of atone arm in unison with the friction wheel, and means providing a common driving connection for both screw shafts from the spindle.

Q. A phonograph, comprising a main driving element, a spin friction wheel in contact with the turntable, with means by which it is driven from the main drivin means by w vanced a tone arm,

ich the friction wheel is adwith a screw shaft by which it is advanced in unison with the friction wheel; and connecting means for driving the screw hafts'from the spindle and at a variable speed in accordance with that imparted to the turntable by the friction wheel.

.10.- In a honograph, a turntable, a friction wheel which the turntable is driven,

yoke, with driving connections to the driven friction wheel in contact beneath a turntable, a screw shaft driven nection wih the friction wheel,and means for tilting theyoke turntable and the follower with the screw shaft, and vice versa. '12. The-combination in a .wheel in respect to a turntable, and means for concomitantly removing the ment-with the ment from the feed screw. 13. The combination in a phonograph, of a feed screw, a wheel'for movinga turn table,

- a' connection. between the :feed, screw and wheel for moving the friction wheelradially in respect to the turn table, and means. for displacing both the nection in one movement and vice versa.

14. In a phonograph, a friction wheel which engages with spect to a turn table,

and means by which the element; a screw shaft, with and is advanced in rethe turntable, a 'pivotallyand-slldably -mounted followerin con:

.to simultaneously engage phonograph, of v wheelfrom. driving engage- 4 turn table and'driven engagefriction wheel and c on- Wheel is supported, including a, resilient mm with a part of the Wheel, also tiltoblle by which the friction of the Wheel against with the yoke to engn e the feed-screw when the turn table is maintained. the Wheel engefig sei turntable.

15:1In e phonograph, n friction wheel, a, ll @DURIE FLETCHER. 5 Wheel-supporting yoke which is tiitnfole to Witnesses:

" engage the Wheel with n turntable, a feedl Wmu Aim LAWJBIoN,

screw, and a, follower in operative connetion R; Lno (Jo mom 

